Radio tube and the like



June 4, 1940. M. R. SCHULTE RADIO TUBE AND THE LIKE Filed July 5, 1938 INVENTOR Mi/lon R. Schu/le ATTORNEYS Patented June 4, 1940 PATENT OFFICE RADIO TUBE AND THE LIKE Milton R. Schulte, West Orange, N. J., assignor to Tung-Sol Lamp Works, 1110., Newark, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application July 5, 1938, Serial No. 217,381

8 Claims.

This invention relates to radio tubes and the like.

In the making of conventional radio tubes highly complicated and difiicult bends of the stem lead-in wires are necessary in order to make the proper connections to the electrodes and other tube elements, and it is often necessary to flatten the ends of the leads for convenience in welding. This entails tedious lead bending and flattening operations and requires the provision of intricate lead bending devices with corresponding high ini tial and maintenance cost, with added cost in the manufacturing of the tubes.

One object of the invention is to obviate these difiicult lead bending and flattening operations in the manufacture of radio tubes, with consequent simplification and reduction in cost of manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to reduce distortion of the elements or electrodes of the tube and particularly by a novel and improved glass press and lead-in wire and flexible tip structure.

To this end I provide the leading in wires or certain of them with tips of flexible connecting wires of flat stock cross-sections, which tips are soft enough and sufficiently flexible to be readily manipulated by hand but of sufficient cross-section to withstand the stem making and welding operations without burning out.

A further object of the invention is the provision of lead-in wire tips of the above-indicated character and of a high thermal conductivity material, such as copper, whereby the tube elements or electrodes of the tubes may be operated at a lower temperature than with conventional tubes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of lead-in Wires for radio tubes and the like with multiple flexible tips of fiat stock crosssections of the above indicated character,'whereby the making of multiple connections is facili-' tated with resultant speed up of the assembly work and the elimination of additional pickups and welds.

Other objects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a view of a radio tube embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a lead-in wire embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is an clevational view of a lead-in wire with multiple tips embodying the invention;

Fig. 4 is a section along the lines 4--4 of Figs. 2 and 3; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are skeleton views of mounts embodying the invention.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a radio tube I having multiple plug terminals 2.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 5 the mount is provided with several leads 3 which may be con nected with the external plug terminals" 2 in any suitable manner and these leads 3 are provided with lead-in portions 4 of any suitable or conventional character; these portions 4 being sealed into the mount stem press 5. Conventional rigid, round lead in wire tips 6 of nickel or the like are illustrated which form the desired electrical connections for certain of the tube elements. The lead-in wire i is provided with a tip 1 of fiat metallic stock, preferably of high thermal conductivity, such as copper. The tip 7 is welded at 8 to the lead-in wire 4' and the lead-in wire 4' with tip I is sealed into the press 5 of the stem in the conventional manner of forming stem mounts. The tip '7 being of comparatively soft and flexible material enables an easy connection to be made with the tube element Ill which is disposed both out of the plane of and out of alinement with the lead-in wire 4'.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 6 the lead-in wire 4 is provided with multiple tips of flat stock I l, these being welded at l2 to the lead-in wire 4' prior to the making of the stem and pressing the plastic glass thereabout to form the press 5. In the particular embodiment shown there are two of these multiple tips H and these are of the flat stock material above described. They are utilized for connecting the lead 4' with tube elements disposed out of the plane of or out of alinement with the lead-in wire 4' as, for example, the elements indicated at I3. In this embodiment a short flat stock tip 14 is Welded to one of the flat tips H for connection with another element l5 of the tube, as by welding. This indicates the facility with which connections may be made between a fiat stock tip II and other tube elements.

Better and more secure welds are obtained by this invention and the tube elements operate at a lower temperature due to the high thermal conductivity of the lead-in tips I and II. The cost of manufacture is substantially reduced by the facility with which the connections may be made. Also, there is greatly reduced danger of distortion of the elements or electrodes by welding to them a connection far weaker than the electrode itself rather than one of approximately equal or greater rigidity. The result, therefore, is a sub stantially improved tube both as to precision and accuracy in operation and as to endurance, with substantially reduced shrinkage (imperfect tubes) in manufacture.

I claim:

1. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and a leading-in wire having a soft, flat stock flexible tip of high thermal conductivity welded thereto and leading into the tube and connected with a tube element, said leading-in wire and the weld to the flat stock tip being sealed in the press.

2. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and a leading in wire having a soft, fiat stock multiple flexible tip of high thermal conductivity having its branches welded thereto and leading into the tube and connected with tube elements, said leading-in wire and the weld with the fiat stock multiple tip being sealed into the press.

3. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and leading-in wires sealed therein, rigid supports mounted in said press and carrying the tube elements, at least one of said leading-in Wires having a soft, flat stock flexible tip of high thermal conductivity sealed into said press with the leading-in wire and leading into the tube and connected with an element thereof at a point out of alinement with its leading-in wire.

4. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and a leading-in Wire sealed therein and having a soft, flat stock flexible tip of high thermal conductivity leading into the tube and connected with an element thereof, and a flexible metallic connector of fiat stock. welded flat against said aeoasvn fiat stock tip at a point beyond the seal and within the envelope of the tube and forming a connector for another element of said tube.

5. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and a leading-in wire sealed therein, and having one or more tips of soft, flat stock high thermal conductivity metal leading into the tube and con nected to tube elements, and a flexible metallic connector of flat stock welded flat against one of said flat stock tips at a point beyond the seal and within the envelope of the tube and forming a connector for another element of said tube.

6. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and a leading-in wire sealed therein and having a flexible tip of non-circular cross-section leading into the tube and connected with an element thereof, the end of said flexible tip which is fastened to the leading-in Wire being also sealed in the press.

'7. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press and a leading-in wire having one or more tips of fiat stock metal leading into the tube and connected to elements thereof, said tips being welded to said leading-in wire and sealed into the press with the leading-in wire at the Weld point.

8. In a radio tube, a mount comprising a press having a leading-in wire hermetically sealed therein and a fiat stock flexible tip welded to said leading-in wire and leading into the tube and connected with a tube element, said tip being sufficiently flexible to be readily manipulated by hand but of sufficient cross-section to withstand the stem making and welding operations without burning out and being sealed in the press at the Weld point.

MILTON R. SCHULTE. 

